CanadaGrowSmart is an initiative by the CEED Centre to inform people about pesticide alternatives. It grew out of the Campaign for Pesticide Reduction! Maple Ridge (CPR!MR), an ad hoc citizen group. In December 2006, Maple Ridge became the 124th Canadian municipality to enact a pesticide control bylaw (Pesticide Use Control Bylaw No. 6413 – 2006). The information in this section is intended to inform people how to avoid using pesticides applied for cosmetic purposes to lawns and gardens. Your family and pets will breathe more easily.

Information was excerpted, with permission, from a website published by the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program, King County, Washington, USA.

Why Stop Using Pesticides

Every time you apply a synthetic pesticide to your lawn or garden, you expose your family, neighbours, pets, fish, beneficial insects and wildlife to harmful chemicals.In 2004, more than 3,500 people in Maple Ridge signed a petition asking for restrictions on cosmetic pesticide use. Similarly, 50 local physicians called for these restrictions in petitions signed in 2005.Where to Get HelpClick the links above for more information on CanadaGrowSmart. We will be adding pest-specific information in the future, so come back to check our offerings. If you don't get your questions answered, contact us.We gratefully acknowledge past funding from the following sponsors.

What are pesticides?

The term "pesticide" refers to a category of substances that include herbicides, vermicides,fungicides, rodenticides and miticides. They are poisons designed to kill insects, plants, fungi, moulds and rodents, respectively. The Latin word “cide“ means to kill. We know it from the word “homicide,” to kill a person.

Pesticides contain “active” ingredients (the chemicals intended to kill the pests), and so-called “inert” ingredients. Many inert ingredients are considered trade secrets, and may be even more toxic than the “active” chemicals, although most consumers are completely unaware of their existence or impacts.

Pesticides may often kill beneficial insects and plants in addition to the targeted pests. Even when used as directed on the label, pesticides can have negative side effects on human health and the environment. Pesticides can harm the people who apply them as well as bystanders. The World Health Organization reports that each year approximately 3 million people worldwide are poisoned by pesticides, with as much as 50% of them being children under the age of 10. And that is just the immediate danger. The long-term consequences are unknown.

Pesticides can threaten family pets. Dogs from homes with lawns that have been sprayed with pesticides have been linked to a higher than average rate of the canine equivalent of lymphoma. Cancer is now the number one cause of death in older dogs.

Pesticides are likely to kill wildlife and harm habitats. Chemicals drift with the wind or are waterborne or absorbed into groundwater and soils. Eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, gulls and weasels along with fish, reptiles, frogs and wildflowers are all vulnerable.